Bfi Eases 19 Points

The freight trade remained muted on Friday and rates broadly unchanged, but some shipbrokers said the market was at a crossroads, especially in the benchmark USGulf/Japan route. The key Panamax run featuredno new deals after the last fixture at $23 basis no combination, but brokers said the price could be on the brink of a hike due to seasonal demand factors. We may see it moving up again next week, said one. Panamax brokers reported more grain enquiries in the Pacific while Atlantic business remained quiet. Friday's reported deals consisted almost entirely of Pacific timecharter fixtures. The BFI remained unchanged at 1,423 points while nearby BIFFEX futures contracts were up 18 points with December at 1,400 and January at 1,360.